MTV Networks Australia today announced that FOXTEL presenter and Olympic swimming icon Ian Thorpe will present World Surfing Champion Mick Fanning with the first ever MTVAA ‘Sports Award’. Ian Thorpe will take to the stage to present the nine-time world champion surfer with the award to a live audience at the MTV Australia Awards 2008, Saturday April 26 from 7:30pm with an encore screening on FOX8 Sunday April 27 from 6pm and Saturday May 3 from 7:30pm.

With a passion that started at a young age, Mick Fanning has aspired to compete with the world’s best for as long as he can remember. Growing up on the shores of Palm Beach in NSW, Mick spent every spare moment in the wave’s day-dreaming about what it would be like to tour the world as a pro-surfer. In 2001, at age 19, that dream came true when he won the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro as the event “Wild Card”. Since then, Mick has racked up a total of nine world championship tour wins and has beaten the best in the toughest surf locations around the world.

“I’ve won a few awards over the years but I never thought I’d get to put an MTV Award on the shelf, its great to be recognised by people with such an influential voice amongst the youth of Australia” said Mick Fanning “It will be surreal to walk the red carpet as an award winner, at least I won’t have to prepare my “losing game face”.

Dave Sibley Managing Director of MTV Networks Australia and New Zealand said 'Mick Fanning is as relevant to our viewers as any of the great music acts we have attending the Awards this year. The Awards is about celebrating excellence & success, making Mick an obvious choice. We're proud to be saluting a young Australian who has taken on the world, and won.'

In its first year, the ‘Sports Award’ is one of three awards to be nominated by MTV Australia. This change in proceedings is MTV Australia’s way of acknowledging those who have had a significant influence on the Australian MTV audience. The three recognition categories will also include a ‘Movie Star Award’ and ‘International Music Artist Of The Year’.